Allied Love
by xXMissMidnightXx
Summary: When Belarus forms an alliance with America in order to make her brother jealous, she may find herself in an unexpected situation. Will her plan work, or will she fall into the sea known as the stars and stripes?
1. Chapter 1

Another day had come and gone and Natalia could feel her hope of ever getting Ivan to return her feelings ebbing away more than ever before. She let out a low sigh as she looked at the suitcase she'd packed the night before and glanced over at his door, wiping a small tear from her cheek. Since the Soviet Union had dissolved, he never came out of his room, always talked to himself about the days when his house was full of people to talk to and not just his frightening younger sister. She had one final thing she wanted to try before completely giving up on him ever requiting her feelings for him. She had formed an alliance with Ivan's worst enemy, Alfred Jones, in an attempt to make him jealous. Soon enough, Alfred would be at his house to pick her up and take her to his home, where she'd live for as long as she managed to. She let out another soft sigh as a knock on her door jolted her back into the real world.

"Enter. Door is open," She growled at the door, wrapping her fingers around the handle of the small suitcase, "I am ready to be leaving…"

Alfred opened the door and smiled at the girl, offering to take her bag from her. After a long, awkward stare-down, she reluctantly handed him her bag as she glanced over at her brother's bedroom door a few more times. She looked back at Alfred and began to leave the house she had been for her entire life.

"Sestra…? You're really leaving me?" Ivan's voice stopped her dead in her tracks, "Even you, who says she loves me is leaving me alone?"

"Dy…" She responded, refraining from turning to look at him as tears slid down her face, "A-Alfred said he'll take good care of me…unlike you…"

Even though she had her back turned to him, she knew her words had wounded him deeply. Ivan took a step back, wiping off his face with the back of his hand, shooting Alfred a deadly glare, which Alfred returned.

"Here…" Alfred muttered, handing Natalia back her suitcase, "The car's unlocked. Get in and wait for me there, okay?"

Natalia nodded and headed out the door and to the car that was idling in the driveway, getting in and waiting for Alfred, as she had been instructed. As soon as Alfred heard the car door shut, he turned back to Ivan and continued his glare.

"You're taking my sestra from me…" Ivan growled darkly, "She was the only thing I had left! Why are you taking her away, you American scum?"

"Because you don't care," Alfred replied bluntly, "You can't see how much being around you hurts her both physically and emotionally. She loves you so much! She deserves someone better than you, anyway…"

"Kolkolkolkolkol…" Ivan lifted up his blood-stained water pipe, but Alfred slammed the door in his face before Ivan had a chance to use the weapon against him.

Natalia flinched at the sound of the slamming door, watching as Alfred came into view, a look of distress crossing his face. She looked away from him and her former home, blocking out any memories that would make her emotional. The memories of her, Ivan, and Yeka were too powerful as they flooded into her mind. The mere thought of them as children made her sick because she knew it would never be that way again. Perhaps some time away was exactly what she needed to keep herself somewhat sane, though she still hated the idea of leaving her family. Alfred opened the driver door and got in, breathing a low sigh of relief.

"You ready to hit the road, Nat?" He asked, looking over at her, his hands on the steering wheel, "I sure as hell am…"

"Sooner the better…" She replied, looking at the door to her old home, where Ivan now stood in the doorframe, his water pipe held limply at his side as his eyes glistened with tears.

She tore her gaze away from the door and looked down at her hands, which were clenched tightly in her lap. No more worries of Ivan, no more pain, no more fear of rejection from the one she loved. For a while, Alfred's home would serve as her haven from any pain Ivan could strike upon her. Natalia looked over at Alfred, examining his face and seeing the worry that had etched itself into his handsome features.

"Natty, I'm going to keep you safe. He can't hurt you anymore. I won't let him. You deserve more than the rejection he's met you with on countless occasions…" Alfred sighed as he glanced at her for a brief moment, "You deserve so much more than that. A beautiful, talented, deadly woman like you deserves to be loved…"

She blushed and looked away quickly, watching the landscape speed by outside her window as they drove. She'd never once received a compliment from anyone besides Ivan when he was trying to get rid of her; Alfred's compliment was sincere and from the heart. She bit back an almost twitterpated sigh as she realized that Alfred was much more of a gentleman than others made him out to be. His voice was stern, yet somehow soothing. After a long while, Alfred stopped the car.

"We're here…" He smiled as he looked at his mansion and nudged her, "It's not much, but I hope you'll be comfortable while you stay."

"Am sure I will…" She muttered in response, averting her eyes from the immense estate to get her stuff, "Is thankful that has accepted alliance…"

"Why wouldn't I?" He asked curiously, helping her with the bag, which she obviously didn't need, "It's the hero's job to save the damsel in distress from her sad situations….now, let's get you situated. You and I are the only ones living here right now, so feel free to look around freely…"

Natalia nodded and exited the car, snatching up her bag from the car as she headed into the house without another word. She stared at the enormous mansion, which was like nothing she had ever seen. Even the simple elegance of the decor was breathtaking, almost as if it had been made for a king. She set her small suitcase down against the couch before exploring the vast estate that would be serving as her home for the foreseeable future.

"I hope this is nice enough for ya. I cleaned up quite a bit before I came to get you…" Alfred smiled as he finally caught up to her, "It's not much of a palace, but…its home."

"Is nice…" Natalia muttered, "Better than what is being used to."

"You think so? I mean, England's got an entire castle to himself. Makes my place look like a dump…" Alfred chuckled, cautiously wrapping his arms around her from behind.

Natalia tensed heavily at his touch, having half a mind to kill him where he stood for having the audacity to touch her at all if not for a small part of her, telling her that this was okay. That small part of her that was telling her that she didn't hate the way his arms felt around her. It told her quite the opposite. Somewhere deep inside, Natalia loved the feeling of being held to him with such tender, gentle care. She forgot time as she closed her eyes and rested her hands on his.

"Natty…I love you. I have for a long time, but I knew…no…I know you don't accept my feelings. When I saw your alliance request, my heart skipped a beat. I didn't think it was real. I couldn't imagine you turning against your brother like that," He whispered the explanation softly in her ear.

His warm breath against her cheek sent shivers down her spine as she relaxed, snuggling against him slightly. She felt him rest his chin on her shoulder, carefully burying his face in her neck while she gripped his hands lightly. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open and she shoved him away.

"Niama!" She shouted angrily, clenching her fists at her sides, "Don't touch me!"

The hot sting of tears hit his eyes hit his eyes almost instantly. After everything he'd just said, she still was too afraid to trust him. Not even enough to let him hold her. He couldn't bring himself to look at her at the moment, too afraid to look her in the eye to let her see his face.

"What room am I staying in? I want to go to bed…" She muttered and sighed heavily, averting her eyes from him to keep from tearing up herself. She wished there was some way to trust him, but something inside of her kept her from trusting. Something about the mere concept of trust didn't sit right with her.

"I've had the guest bedroom set up for you…" Alfred muttered, staring down at the ground, still saddened by the rejecting tone in her voice, "I made sure it was completely ready for you."

"Spasiba…" Natalia muttered, grabbing her bag again and heading to the room he had gestured to.

He watched as she headed down the hallway, flinching as she slammed the door behind her. He walked into the living room and sat down with a heavy sigh, clearing the hair from his face as he tried to relax. He cursed at himself for being so stupid and headstrong, but at the same time, he had discovered the one thing that he needed to figure out. He had to find the way to get her to relax. Her past had left a heavy scar and, because of it all, she had built up a defensive wall around herself. He had to tear down the barriers Ivan had forced her to build around her heart. He wanted to take away the pain.

"When I brought you here…I swore to protect you." He whispered quietly, "And a hero doesn't go back on his word."


	2. Chapter 2

Natalia slowly made her way to the room Alfred had directed her to, staring down at her feet as she walked. She opened the door and looked around, not surprised to see the room had been just as extravagantly decorated as the rest of the house. The room had a wooden, carved wardrobe on one wall, where Natalia made her way over to as she closed the bedroom door. She unpacked the couple dresses she had brought and sighed softly, moving toward the large, four-post bed with its burgundy bedding. As she sat down, she began to think about the events that had taken place only moments before, wondering what she should have done. Some part inside of her wanted to trust the goofy American. She just wasn't sure if that part of her was dominant over the part of her that still wanted Ivan. Maybe it was time to move on from the past. Alfred seemed sincere, but she just couldn't find it inside of herself to believe the words he was saying. She thought over the events as footsteps and a light knock at the door brought her back to reality.

"What, Alfred…?" She snapped at the door angrily. The last thing she wanted to hear was his voice, but somehow she needed it.

He sighed, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have tried to make a move on you so quickly. I made you uncomfortable, which is the last thing I wanted to do. I'll bring dinner to your room. You don't need to come out to eat with me. I'm used to eating alone anyways."

She quietly chewed on her bottom lip, "Is taking shower…Will give answer after." All she really wanted was some time to think. Maybe the steam could help clear her head. Even if it didn't, it was worth a shot.

She walked into the bathroom attached to her bedroom, looking in the bathroom mirror. It was obvious that she had been crying; her makeup was a mess. She shook her head and looked away, getting undressed and turning on the water. The feelings and thoughts from early worked their way back into her mind as she closed her eyes. Everything Alfred said sounded so genuine and from the heart. Then why didn't she believe him? The questions plagued her non-stop as she got under the warm waters, letting the worries and anxieties flow down the drain with the water. She let everything go and just thought about everything on the most basic level she could, reasoning through the problems on the most basic of levels. After twenty minutes, she turned off the water and wrapped a towel around herself. Dinner with Alfred didn't sound like a bad idea.

By the time she was out and dressed, there was a tray of food sitting on her bed with a note beside it. She picked it up cautiously and read it: "Hey, Natty. I figured you weren't going to come to dinner so I brought the food straight to your room so you don't even have to worry about looking at me."

Natalia sighed as she picked up the tray and headed to the dining table, where Alfred was seated with his food. She set her spot and watched as his expression change from surprised to overjoyed, "N…Natty? You're actually going to join me for dinner?"

She nodded slowly, "Dy…if is going to be eating food American made for is, is polite to share company as well."

He nodded, smiling softly at the other, "Thank you…I never would have thought that you would want to join me. I thought you were just going to eat in your room. "

She just looked at him, the extent of her talking finished as she ate her food quietly. She was only there to relieve the guilt she had inflicted upon herself with her cruelty and harsh words. She had no intention of actually making any kind of small talk with the blonde man. As she finished, she politely dabbed her mouth with a napkin, missing a bit of food on her bottom lip. Alfred noticed it right away.

"Nat…" He took her chin in his hand and smiled, wiping the bit of food away with his thumb as he gazed into her eyes. He leaned in slowly, his lips barely brushing against hers as she tensed, unsure of what to do anymore. After a brief moment, their lips connected in a gentle kiss. Natalia could feel the breath escape from her lungs. Her first kiss. And it was with Alfred of all people. Slowly, she found herself kissing back. Shocked by the fact that she returned it, he quickly broke the kiss.

Natalia sat there with her fingers gently touching her lips gently. She couldn't decide inside of herself if she enjoyed the kiss or not. Rather than talk to him, she got up and headed to her room, slamming the door shut, leaving Alfred alone at the table once again. Again, he came to her door.

"Natalia…I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have…I should have controlled myself…should have just told you had food on your lip. I shouldn't have just gone and kissed you," He sighed before walking away.

She waited until she couldn't hear his footsteps anymore before she closed her eyes and began to let silent tears slip down her face, "Is wanting to trust…" She whispered, "Is wanting to let American have chance…but is can't. Why? I think…I think I love him…"

Alfred stood outside her door and listened to her speak, smiling softly as the words left her mouth. Walking away, he let out a silent cheer in his heart. He had broken down part of the wall. Slowly, but surely, she was starting to understand that he meant her no harm. He heard the door open behind him.

"Alfred…?" She questioned, blushing a bit as he turned around, "I…I…Я тебя люблю."

His eyes went wide. Although he wasn't fluent in Russian, he knew what those words meant. He knew what she had just admitted to him, but he could tell she hadn't wanted him to understand, "R…really? D…do you mean that?"

"Y…you understood is…?" She stared at him, wide-eyed, "You know what is saying to you? Is not possible."

"You just told me…you loved me…in Russian," He replied, looking her over, "You told me that you love me."

She shook her head, "That is not what is saying… Is mistaken." She returned to the room and slammed the door behind her, locking it.

He still smiled, even though she had turned him down cold. She had said it. She had admitted it to him. Now he just had to wait for her to feel confident to tell him how she felt in a way that she knew he would understand completely.


End file.
